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How can we get our toddler to let us brush his teeth?

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My toddler refuses to let me or my husband brush his teeth. He simply clenches his mouth closed. We've tried using gauze on our fingertips and a child-sized toothbrush. We've even tried brushing our teeth together, as a family, and letting him hold his own toothbrush. Nothing has worked. I'd appreciate any suggestions or tips.

Mom Answers

I have the same issue and whilst all the suggestions are great I have tried most of them all and nothing works with my 24month old. I can't brush his teeth in the bath because due to exema I can only bath him once a week. He is very willful and I think I have now made it into an issue and his memory is maintaining it as an 'issue'. He runs away as soon as he sees the toothbrush and cries earnestly when I try to put the brush into his mouth. If he does let me in it's for a second and then he uses his tongue to obstruct further brushing. I'm not proud of myself but have become quite frustrated because I am very very anxious that if don't brush his teeth properly his gums and teeth will rot. I would like to know if it is ok if I ease of (stupid I know but he won't get gum disease if I just let it go for a few days and perhaps reintroduce it, will he?) Then again if I do that then he may think the whole thing is over with and freak out when he sees the toothbrush again. Help...

Wow - I'm so glad this question was asked. My 19 month old daughter hates to have her teeth brushed too. She loves to take the toothbrush and just sort of chew on it but if I try to brush her teeth, she clenches her mouth shut and if I try to pry it open, she uses her tongue to keep the brush away from her teeth. We used to use the finger brush which worked fine but had to stop when she really started to hurt as she'd bite down on it.
For now, we've been taking the approach that it isn't optional and holding her down while she screams and avoids until we've brushed and then let her chew the toothbrush for awhile after (she calms down immediately once you're done) but it's a really upsetting experience. The advice I'm going to try from here is to buy a spinbrush that she helps pick, get some non-fluoridated toothpaste, and try things like letting her watch us brush and even brush our teeth and to brush her toys' teeth. Ultimately though, it's still going to be "first we brush, then you get a chance". Hopefully, it works!

Show him that you or DH's is brushing teeth. Kids tends to copy what they see and he will definitely love to brush his teeth with you. When my DD's teeth cames out I started brushing her teeth and she loves it though she still don't know how to brush it right.

my 10 little girl toddlers love to brush there teeth day and night,because i whoop them when they don't wanna brush there teeth,first help brush there teeth and when they get use to it teach them how to do by there sevles
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Both my boys have gone through this phase. They each went from never fighting to ALWAYS fighting. They're back to not fighting (usually) now, so take heart...it does pass! With my oldest brushing in the bath worked great. With my youngest an electric toothbrush that changes colors to time it worked for a while. When that lost its appeal and he was fighting me one night I yelled "Bad breath monsters! They're in there, I have to fight the bad monsters!" He laughed and opened up to let Mommy conquer the monsters. He and his brother are ALWAYS fighting bad guys. Some nights he's still just difficult for the sake of being difficult, as 2yo's will do. Just keep using trial and error to find what works with yours, and stay consistent. Eventually they outgrown the battle.

We had this problem with both our kids. We just stuck to our guns and created a "routine" for our kids to associate with brushing our teeth. First we get them in their jammies, then we bring them to the bathroom saying, "it's time to brush our teeth". Then we when get there we say, "Ahhhhhhhh" the whole time. When brushing the front teeth we say, "eeeeeeee". We also use banana flavored toothpaste and battery powered toothbrush. Sometimes our pressure was too hard for sensitive gums and we didn't realize it. The electric toothbrush helped with that. Then we let them brush their own teeth to experience it. Then they get a big high five and lots of praise. With time they learned to like it and now say "ahhhh" while we walk to the bathroom. You can also try reward stickers for successful brushing.

My daughter cry and close her mouth every time I brush her teeth.Now she is 2years and 2 weeks already. We did not get to brush her teeth at all.I bough her favorite cartoon Dora tooth brush.also she does not want it .she scare when we turn on the toothbrush.
Please share your suggest..

I know this sounds bad, but I was desperate and it worked very well! Quite awhile ago, I was having trouble with my 2 year old (he is now 3) not wanting to brush his teeth. We were holding his head and he was crying and I just hated that time of the day! One day I told him that if he didn't brush his teeth, they would all start falling out. He was immediately concerned and ever since, he reminds us that he needs to brush his teeth if we forget or else his teeth will fall out.

I play games with my DS, who is just over three years old. He usually resists, but I tell him about all the "birdies" who are nesting in his teeth, and how we make them fly away. We also sing songs and he even lets us brush his tongue. I find that putting him on a counter helps, as there is less chance of running away! Good luck:)

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